1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to welding torches that have improved, ergonomic, handle based, amperage control mechanisms. These mechanisms are convenient, ergonomic and efficient due to their trigger operated arrangements.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
The following patents relate to welding torches:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,341 describes a welding torch handle including electrical control means thus enabling a welder, by the control on the handle, to vary the welding current supplied to an electrode in the torch head fitted to the handle. The handle is characterized by employing a linearly actuated control that can continuously vary current applied to the electrode from 0 amps to the full setting on the welding power supply. This control eliminates foot, hand held, or motor driven controls and provides convenient single-handed current control by the welder.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,051,344 describes a control unit that comprises an elongated body having a forward torch mounting portion. Rearwards of the torch the body houses a linear potentiometer which includes an upstanding control arm for its movable compact. An off-on switch is located within said body, in a position to be contacted and operated by the control arm. A thumb button controlled sliding control member is attached to the control arm. In, use, the user grips the mid portion of the body and places his thumb on the thumb button. He uses a simple linear movement of his thumb to control the linear potentiometer, for varying the welding current, and to operate the off-on switch, for turning the arc welding machine on and off.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,066 describes a hand-operated remote control unit that has a housing containing a rotary potentiometer whose shaft carries a pinion which is driven by a rack having a spring loaded push button attached thereto. An eccentric cam is mounted on the potentiometer shaft adjacent a microswitch in which the cam surface is in contact with the switch where the push button is in its unactuated position. When the push button is actuated, the cam rotates releasing the switch, and the rack and pinion varies the resistance of the potentiometer to vary the welding current. A plurality of hat section holders for positioned on different surfaces of the housing for mounting an adjustable ring-shaped clamp having bayonet extensions thereon which fit into the hat section holders. The adjustable ring-shaped clamp which has a new screw therein is adapted to be adjustably mounted on the handle of the welding torch. The adjustable clamp may be moved up and down to a desired position on the welding torch and the welding torch may be rotated 360° therein. The plurality of hat section mounts into which the clamp fits permits further adjustment and placement of the welding torch to adapt in to reach difficult places and at the same time permit operation of the push button with various digits of the hands. Accordingly, finger tip control of the welding current is achieved without the necessity of moving the torch even while wearing bulky insulating gloves.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,510,373 describes a control unit for use with the welding gun of an arc welding assembly. A single adjustable means in the welding gun effects changes in the control unit to regulate welding voltage as well as the speed at which the electrode wire is fed to the welding site.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,942 describes a welding torch with a control means on the torch itself for adjusting welding current. This control means has a thumb button which can be actuated by the welder to turn the torch on or off and to adjust the current to an appropriate value for the weld being made. A latch means at one extreme of its travel is provided to hold the thumb button in the off position. This prevents the torch from being accidentally actuated by inadvertently moving the button.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,917 describes a present invention that includes several features which can be used alone or in combination. The three primary features are: 1) an ergonomically designed welding gun; 2) a quick disconnect cable assembly, and 3) an improved contact tip and diffuser. The ergonomic design for the welding gun includes one or more of the following features: a) the conductor tube can be rotated 360° about the centerline of the handle by the welder without resort to tools or disassembly of the gun; b) the conductor tube can be articulated 15° up or down, side to side, with out resort to tools or disassembly of the gun; c) the rear portion of the handle includes a gentle curve of approximately 10° off the centerline to facility gripping by the operator; d) the handle operator to actuate the gun while gripping same either at the rear portion of the handle of the front portion of the handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,005,221 describes an improved tungsten insert gas welder, having a means to remove heat energy using pressurized air, and a method for removing the heat away from the welder head area. A source of pressurized air is delivered through a hose to the welder head, and is directed through heat conductive air tubes within the welder head. It is then forced through a plurality of coils which surround an area that contains heat energy created during the welding process. As the air moves through the coils, it acquires some of the heat energy within the welder head. The heated air is vented into an outer jacket, which contains the electrically conductive cables, and an airspace surrounding the cables. As the heated air moves toward a rear connector block, it contacts the length of the cables, and is able to transfer some of the heat to the cables. This allows some of the heat energy contained within the pressurized air to be transferred through physical contact to the metal cable, so that as the air moves farther along the length of the metal cable. It will then loose more of its heat energy, so that it begins to cool, which will cause the heat acquired by the metal cable to move along the length of the cable in the direction of the cooler air toward the rear connector block, thus maximizing the cooling potential of this forced air system.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,051,808 describes a welding parameter control device for a welding torch operable by the welders thumb and/or index finger. A forward-located rotary knob or belt is positioned where the torch is of relatively small diameter and comfortable for the welder to hold in the hand. This is coupled to a rotary potentiometer located toward the rear portion of the torch. Here the torch diameter can be increased without discomfort to the welder. By placing the potentiometer in this position it can be much larger and more rugged than would be possible if located at the position of the control knob. In contrast to the use of a highly miniaturized potentiometer at the control point location, failure rate is greatly reduced. Weld disturbance due to torch movement during current adjustment is virtually eliminated by use of the fingertip operated rotary control.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,137,079 describes an invention relating to an electric arc welding torch body having an electrode holder and a nozzle, said nozzle being formed with at least one supplemental partition having an internal surface and an external surface, characterized in that at least one supplemental partition extends along at least one portion of the internal surface and/or external surface of the nozzle partition, in that one of said partitions is electrically conductive and in that the other of said partitions is electrically insulating and the use of such a torch in an electric arc welding or cutting process under a protective gas, particularly a TIG, MIG or MAG welding process.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,399,913 describes an insulative grip for a TIG torch that is held in a person's fingers like a pen or pencil. The grip has an external contour that has multiple gripping areas. The size and shape of the gripping areas conform to the person's thumb and first two fingers when he holds the grip. The gripping areas reduce the tendency for the torch to move in the person's hand. The gripping areas also provide and indication of the orientation in space of the torch electrode when the person holds the torch. The torch may be either water-cooled or air-cooled.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,423,937 describes an invention relating to an arrangement for contact arc ignition in manual TIG welding and to a method for welding with this arrangement. The arc is established by lifting the welding torch after contact between electrode and workpiece under low ignition current. When the arc length is sufficient, the welder orders a change-over to welding current via an operating device. The invention can also be used for controlling the supply of heat to the workpiece both during continuous bead application and during the crater filling time at the end of welding. The invention creates reliable ignitions without extensive use of control electronics, and it substantially reduces the electrode wear in manual TIG welding.
Notwithstanding the prior art, the present invention is neither taught nor rendered obvious thereby.